The Final Fantasy
by Encrypted Soul
Summary: This is a novel adaptation of Final Fantasy X (with my own special twist and lines, especially towards the end). Please R&R!
1. The Otherworld

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all names, characters and events related to the afore said are the property of SQUARESOFT and it's affiliates. In other words, I'm giving you credit so please don't sue me!

Chapter 1

"The Otherworld" 

        The sun of Spira was setting amongst the grand city of ruin. Just as a sunset can end more than a day, this sun was setting on certainty, innocence, and a young love. All that was left was for the dark hue of the moon to show itself upon the group as terrible solace for the sun. The weapons of the group were merely a silhouette in the wake of the beautiful yet powerful sun. The group of seven sat around an open fire, sitting on pieces of debris from the once great city. They were all staring into the fire; you could see the emotional whirlwind blowing through their eyes. The young man with blonde hair slowly stood up; he was walking away from the group when he suddenly stopped. He stood next to the girl, barely a woman, whose radiant, soft-spoken beauty out glowed even that of the sun. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and painfully, yet lovingly laid her head against his arm. He slowly moved his arm, caressing her cheek as he did so, and walked up a nearby rocky hill. He looked down upon the rest of the group, then into the sunset and the ruins of the city. He looked down at the dozen or so small spheres of glistening light; the luminous pyreflies. While staring at life in death, a solemn smile came to his face; the smile was sad yet reverent with an inextricable wonder to it. 

_"Listen to my story. This may be our last chance."_

**_* * *_**

        The grand electronic city of Zanarkand illuminated the night even more than that of the pale, full moon. The majestic, machine driven, metropolis of Zanarkand was a huge city of nothing but skyscrapers, machines and various roads and highways that were strung through the city at various heights. There were no suburbs, the people of Zanarkand lived in various housing towers, or so they were called. Some of the richer ones lived by the sea in floating houses.  The colorful neon lights flashed below the star strung sky. Waterfalls flowed down one or two sides of the multiple skyscrapers into pools of water at their bottom entrances. Such was the architectural fashion of the age. The lights of the grand city shimmered on the water of the dark sea that lay next to it. Outside one of the floating houses by the sea, twenty or so anxious fans were waiting. Not just waiting for the blitzball game to start, but waiting for a chance to see him.

"Omigod! Stacey, he's like, actually here!"

"Wow Trish, he's really hot in person; he's also my age!" The girl giggled. "C'mon! Let's hurry and meet him!"

        Tidus emerged outside his extravagant dwelling, bracing himself for the fans that were surely waiting. People started spreading the news and flocked towards him. He was used to the people gawking and smiling at him, and he loved it too. Tidus was the rising star of the Zanarkand Abes, one of the many professional blitzball teams in the grand, futuristic city of Zanarkand. With his short blonde hair, his good looks, and his kind, playful attitude, he was enough to make any girl's heart melt. What nobody noticed was that behind the two flustered, teenage girls whom Tidus's presence had gotten to; a boy, about the age of eight or so based on his looks, appeared out of nowhere. He was dressed very oddly wearing a purplish black robe with the sleeves cut off. The back of the robe had a strange symbol on it. He had darker skin- that of someone with a tan- yet not too dark of skin. Though most of his face was a dark shadow because of the hood of his robe, what you could see of his face was a solemn and mature expression. It was like that of an old man on an eight year olds face. The boy in the robe seemed to glide by people as he stood near the back of the twenty or so people who surrounded Tidus. Nobody noticed or acknowledged this strange looking boy except one. As Tidus was scanning the crowd around him, he immediately noticed the strange looking boy. He wondered why no one else noticed this peculiar looking boy when he quickly remembered that he was the center of attention. It was a good enough of an explanation for Tidus. He ignored the boy in the back and attended to his aspiring fans. A group of three ten-year-old boys reached him first.

"Can you sign this?" One of them said as he was holding out a blitzball.

"No prob!" Tidus responded.

"Me too please?" Another one of the boys asked.

"Alrighty." Tidus said smiling.

"Me three!" The third impatient boy yelled.

"Take it easy. I'll get to you in a sec." Tidus said.

        When the two girls saw that Tidus was done with the small group of boys, they pushed in the front of the crowd yearning for his attention. When Tidus noticed the two scantly clad girls of around his age; his attention was immediately given to them.

"Can I have your autograph?" Said Stacey coyly to him.

Tidus smiled. "Of course!" He said while quickly marking his name on her souvenir blitzball.

"Good luck tonight!" Said Trish blushing from behind Stacey.

"Hey! Nothing to worry about, right?" He smiled daringly. "Oh, and if I score a goal…."

"When you score a goal!" interjected Trish. An embarrassed laughter surfaced from Tidus.

"When I score a goal…" Tidus continued. "I'll do this!"

        Tidus raised his arms into the air and contorted his fingers in a seemingly unique symbol.

"That'll mean it's for you two lovely ladies, okay?" The two girls started giggling incessantly.

"What seat you in tonight?" Tidus boldly continued.

"East block on the front row!" Stacey chirped.

"Fifth from the right" Trish added.

"All right then! Maybe you could wait outside the locker room after the game and we can go out and hopefully have a victory party!" Tidus waved bye to the girls then addressed the crowd. "Well, I gotta go! Cheer for me!" 

        The crowd bellowed with excitement as Tidus turned to leave when he felt something tugging at him. Tidus turned around. The crowd became quiet thinking he might have something else to say, when in reality, the three ten year olds were vying for his attention. One of them spoke.

"We heard you say to those girls that you see people behind the locker room after the game. Can we wait too?" One of the boys asked enthusiastically.

"What?" Tidus asked incredulously. The crowd was still quiet and focused on the conversation amusedly.

"Yea!" Another boy chirped in. "You could teach us how to blitz real good like you!"

        Tidus did not know how to respond to his young fans request. It was an amusing awkwardness brought about by the face of innocence that knows no taboo.

"Uh…" He looked at the crowd still focused on him. "Maybe tonight…um…well…" Suddenly, the mysterious boy who was somehow now behind Tidus, spoke. 

"You can't tonight." It was a strange voice that spoke. It was a voice that commanded attention. It was the voice of a dark, learned old man, but with the pitch of an eight to ten year old. It was a strange and warmly haunting voice.

        Tidus immediately turned and stared at the boy for many moments. There was a strange feeling in him, a feeling of connection, yet utter perplexity. It is a feeling that most youths are assuredly familiar with. The crowd stared nervously at Tidus. They looked to where he was apparently looking behind him and saw nothing but the ground. It was as if he was staring into an empty void and listening to words that aren't of reality. Tidus suddenly snapped back and stared at the group of boys.

"I mean, not tonight…tomorrow. Yea. " Tidus said shaking his head as if to clear his mind of thoughts of the unexplained. The crowd did the same and quickly forgot the few moments that Tidus looked away seemingly at some fantasy of the mind. 

"Ya promise?" One of the boys asked in an eager tone.

"Promise! Meet me behind the locker room and we'll sort our details!" Tidus said smiling.

_"Why shouldn't I? I thought to myself. I always have some free time and I couldn't shoot them down in front of the crowd. Besides, it'll be fun and look good for my public relations. Looking back now, it amuses me how trivial and pointless everything was. It's amazing what happens when your life is literally consumed by a dream, leaving you to die without living and to live without dying."_

        The three kids stared at him wide eyed with joy. Simultaneously, the three put their palmed hands together forming a circle. Then they bowed. It was the blitzball gesture symbolizing good luck and victory. Tidus then left the cheering fans for the suspended road that led him to the nearby, masterfully gothic crafted blitzball stadium. Tidus enjoyed walking to his games; it gave him the chance to clear his mind and warm up his body. Plus he could augment his self-confidence and renew his charisma by being noticed by the fans of his he would undoubtedly run in to. He looked up at one of the huge televisions on the side of one of the high rises. It was projecting an image of a renowned man who looked very strong and tall. He had long black hair with a bandanna around his head right above a scar across his face. Tidus stared up at the projection of the man with a goatee. He chuckled cynically. He thought of the great irony that everyone in Zanarkand would kill to meet and know that man, but Tidus would kill him and wished he never knew the man… his father, Jecht. He listened to the commentator babble on about him as he walked along the suspended highway.

"…Yea Ted, I still remember where I was too when it happened. I was in a coffee shop, running away from home when I heard the news. Our hero, Jecht, gone, vanished into thin air! My dad must have been his biggest fan. I knew how sad he'd be. Hell, we all were that day. 'Zanar', I says to myself, 'What are you thinking?' I went running straight back home. We sat up talking 'bout Jecht all night. My dad and I never talked so much. Whoa... Didn't mean to reminisce, folks. Anyways... Ten years later, the Jecht Memorial Cup tournament is today! The two teams that have won through to the finals are...of course, the Abes from A-East and the Duggles from C-South. I know there's a lot of people out there today to see the star of the Abes! In just one year, Tidus has become the team's number one player! He's Jecht's blood, and the new hope of blitzball! What kind of super play will he show us today? Will we see his father's legendary shot? I don't think I'm the only one excited here, folks!"

        Tidus hurried and pushed past the rambunctious spectators who had lined up outside of his locker room just to see him. Tidus hurriedly pushed his way through the fans and entered the familiar locker room. He sat down on one of the benches, closed his eyes, and prepared himself for the upcoming tribulation of the game. Blitzball was the most popular, if not the only pastime in the grand city of Zanarkand. All the teams came from one of the many different zones of the city and were very competitive. Blitzball was a game that was played in a gigantic suspended sphere at the heart of the coliseum. The penetrable sphere is then filled with water, which did not leak. They formed this complicated suspended sphere through intricate scientific and mechanical workings that caused a demi implosion forming the penetrable sphere that disappeared in about twenty-four hours. Most people didn't try to understand this complex working and instead enjoyed snacks and ale while watching the game. Each team consisted of seven players and one goalie. The players are in a constant battle to carry the blitzball across the sphere without getting it stolen or knocked away from them. The goalies, naturally, had to defend their suspended goal. When a player with the blitzball was close enough, he performed a blitz. A blitz was a special underwater kick or throw that gave the blitzball enough momentum to get in the goal. In order to breathe underwater, the players placed special filters on their mouths to filter out the hydrogen and take in only the oxygen of the H2O, an ingenious device! Blitzball was a simple and thrilling game, the team with the most points won. The game was about to begin. The metallic doors opened and the teams entered with plenty of fanfare: music and pyrotechnics included. The demi blast went off and the sphere was formed. Water was shot into the sphere and the game began. 

        Tidus lost the ball in the shoot off, but quickly caught up with the opposing player with the blitzball. Tidus furiously swam in front of the ball carrier. He quickly planted his feet on the thighs of the ball carrier and got a grab on the blitzball his opponent was cradling. Tidus kicked off against his opponent while he had a solid grip on the ball and stole it. He quickly passed it to a team member who threw the blitzball in for a goal. Shortly after this excitement, something disturbing happened. Tidus looked around and suddenly there was no sound, not even the bubbles in the water. Tidus didn't even hear his own breathing. Parts of the crowd became static like and fuzzy to make out while some people and shapes stretched out disfigured. Everything moved in slow motion, all of this in just one moment. Then, as suddenly as it happened, it disappeared. Everything resumed around Tidus normally, the game, the crowd, everything. It was as if the world had had… a glitch. Tidus came to the conclusion that his mind was playing tricks on him. What came next, however, not even he could deny. A strange, yet familiar voice spoke into his mind. To Tidus, it sounded eerily demonic. When he first heard it and no one else reacted, he played like usual to salvage his appearance of sanity.

"Go now if you want it. An otherworld awaits you. Don't you give up on it. You bite the hand that feeds you. All alone, the cold fields you wander. Memories of It cloud your sight. It fills your dreams, disturbs your slumber. You lost your way like a fallen knight. Hold now, your aim is steady. An otherworld awaits you. One thousand years- are you ready? The otherworld it takes you!" The voice whispered slowly.

        Suddenly the commentator who usually vividly gives the play-by-play of the game, droningly started to speak.

"Go now into the sand and dust and the sky. Go now! No better plan than to do or die." The commentator said unnaturally. The voice came back to Tidus's head.

"Free me! Pray to the fayth in the face of the light. Feed me! Fill me with sin now get ready to fight! Hope dies and you wander. The otherworld, it makes you! Dreams just rip asunder. The otherworld it hates you! You're finally free now. Ride up on it! Up to the heights it takes you. Go now! You know you want it. An otherworld awaits you! "

        The commentator resumed speaking in his strange tone chanting, "You know you will. You know you will. You know you will". The crowd, in the same eerie tone began to chant "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!". Tidus wasn't sure if the crowd was chanting for the game or for something else. None of the other players seemed to notice, so Tidus pretended not to either. In the heat of the game there was no time to meditate on the unexplained. It was Tidus's quick fix therapy, ignore everything else and throw yourself in the game. He would worry about his mental state later.

**_* * *_****__**

        At one of the many skyscrapers of Zanarkand, a man in red garments looked across the grand city perilously on the edge of a building. He stood solemnly in the wind with a huge yet powerful sword by one side and a flask of liquor by his other. He had a rough face with stubby black and gray hair right above a long scar that slashed across one of his eyes forcing it shut most of the time. He always wore dark glasses, so few have ever really peered into his eyes. He also didn't go anywhere without his sword or flask of liquor. He stared with empty eyes upon this city of dreams. He suddenly looked into the black ocean barely lit by the moon. Suddenly, there was a huge turbulence and water started gushing out in the middle of the sea. It gushed out into a huge floating sphere formed without any demi blast. It was the largest floating object that anyone who saw it had ever seen. The people who were outside stared at the sphere both mystified and terrified; an ominous tone fell upon the city. The dark sphere could span at least a quarter of Zanarkand and it easily eclipsed the moon. There was something moving behind the dark mass of water. There was apparently some creature in the sphere that could be born only within the realms of fantasy that seemed to have control of the dark mass of water surrounding it. However, no one could make out exactly what it was or looked like; it was a mere shadow of an image in a dark membrane. The man in red clothes grabbed his white flask and raised it to the black sphere as if saluting it. The man let lose a small, dark smile…dark, yet solemn.

"To the beginning of the end of the beginning. Let the new story begin, old friend." The man said in a dark and gruff voice. It was a voice that seemed to have known no joy. It was a dead, rough voice, but one that commanded attention. The man quickly brought the flask to his lips and drank.

**_* * *_****__**

        The game was all tied up. Tidus had managed to knock someone out of the sphere and steal the ball. He had to purge his mind of all thoughts and focus on the game. He ignored the chanting and through himself into the game. He swam fast towards the opposing goal and just barely escaped a defenders swipe clawing for the ball. He was finally in range. It was now time, time to perform his new blitz he had worked on and perfected. He suddenly swam straight up as fast as could, a rarity in the game. Then Tidus through the ball above the blitz-sphere and jumped out of the water and contorted his body to kick the blitzball upside down! He had perfect line of sight. The ball, after being kicked by Tidus's powerful leg, would easily slip past the goalie from this perfect blitz shot. Suddenly, Tidus looked away at the city of Zanarkand in the air for a mere second when he saw something that had him transfixed, even mesmerized. He saw an enormous swirling black sphere of water. A thousand blitz spheres could easily fit in this huge mass of water. Suddenly, bolts of blue energy shot from the center of the sphere and through the city. It was the most devastating weapon mankind had ever seen. Skyscrapers were cut in half like twigs from the impact of the bolts of energy. Aside from that, there was now an opening at the bottom of the sphere that glowed yellow. It had a strange gravity field that was drawing objects to it like a tornado. It even whirled in a funnel, just like a tornado. He saw in a brief second one of the many suspended highways shaking, then break in half and fly in the air directly toward the swirling mess of smoke, fire and debris. Suddenly, right before Tidus was to hit the blitz sphere and reenter the water, the stadium began to shake. Lose architectural pieces and the rim of the stadium began to crumble and fly through the air towards the swirling spiral of death below the black sphere. The blitz sphere was suddenly corrupted and, unable to function, spilled its entire contents in a blink of an eye. Tidus suddenly realized he was falling towards nothing except the hard stadium cement floor, for the water had already drained from the blitz sphere out of the stadium through the locker rooms and other various doors and holes. Suddenly, one of the blue energy beams flew down to the right side of the stadium and Tidus witnessed the instant eradication of thousands of lives and a whole half of the stadium. The instantaneous explosion caused a shockwave, which knocked Tidus's helpless, airborne body, smashing against the left side of the stadium. He slowly pushed himself up, checking to make sure he wasn't seriously injured. He gradually got up and realized he wasn't gravely injured, just bruises, scratches, and a very sore back. He quickly exited the stadium and ran outside with a small mob running past him. He looked out at Zanarkand and was aghast at what he saw. There was no longer much of a skyline; it had been annihilated. Smoke billowed through the city; fire erupted all around him. Zanarkand had turned into a hell with the black sphere commanding as the great Satan of all fears and suffering. The same demonic like, yet familiar voice Tidus had heard in his head now bellowed through the city aloud shaking it and breaking glass. Everyone heard it this time and even stopped to listen. It was singing a bizarre song in an almost chant like fashion. It was coming from the center of the sphere.

"Ieyui. Nobomeno. Renmiri. Yojuyogo. Hasatekanae. Kutamae." The creature in the black sphere of water sang. Suddenly at the last line it let out a violent cry.  It had ceased hostilities while it sang the mystifying chant, but as soon as it stopped, the violence continued uncontrollably. Tidus recognized the tune of the chant from somewhere, but did not know from where. He was very puzzled. Tidus wished desperately that he was having a bad dream, but it was real. The dream of his life had turned into a nightmare full of death and destruction. Tidus suddenly turned his head and noticed a man in red clothes who was carrying two large swords was standing next to him. He knew the man.

"Auron! What are you doing here?" Tidus asked surprised.

_"I had known Auron since I was a boy. He appeared after my father's disappearance. He hardly became a father figure though, but my old man never wanted him too. Instead he always seemed to be watching from afar and he visited me every now and then. Auron was always very complicated and hard to figure out, but I didn't mind. At least he wasn't blunt or in any way like my old man._

"I was waiting for you." Auron said simply.

"What are you talking about?" Tidus said incredulously. He could not believe how easily Auron accepted what was going on around them. He did not seem shocked or worried. He merely flashed a quick smile at Tidus and started to walk off. Tidus paused for a moment and ran after him. Tidus looked around franticly, but Auron was lost in the throng of people around him. Suddenly, there was silence. Tidus only heard his own breathing. He looked around at the destruction and horrified looks on peoples faces frozen in time. He was the only thing moving, time had completely stopped for everything else. Tidus started to panic.

"HELLO! Not again… What the hell is happening to me?" Tidus was searching around looking for something… anything. He looked behind him, and then forward, then behind him again; this time when he looked back he saw the mysterious boy in the dark robe staring at Tidus. All you could see of his face was a pleasant and mature expression.

"It begins." The boy said in his dark voice.

"Wha…?" Tidus was too bewildered to form a real question.

"Don't cry." The boy commanded while strangely looking at Tidus.

        A flash of blinding light struck Tidus from his right. A building near him exploded in a flash of light. His attention was taken to the spectacle for only the briefest of seconds, but when he turned his head back around, the boy was gone and time had resumed in full force. The mob around him was running without the slightest clue that they were frozen in time for the slightest of moments. After A few minutes, the members of the panicky mob were either dead or had found shelter and were hiding. Only one man defied fear and stood in the middle of the suspended road. Auron turned around as if waiting for and expecting Tidus. Tidus rushed over to his side. They both, alone, stared at the whirling sphere of dark water. 

"Look." Auron pointed at the massive sphere. "We called it 'Sin'."

"'Sin?'" Tidus confirmed.

        Unexpectedly, something shot out of Sin. It wasn't a beam of energy, but rather a tentacle that went through the middle of one of the few standing high rises and got stuck half way. Attached to the tentacle were about a hundred blue, neon glowing, pods. The tentacle suddenly thrashed about violently severing the building in two and releasing the many pods. Twenty or so of the pods crashed and pummeled the cement road surrounding Tidus and Auron. The pods opened and bug like creatures with a couple of sharp, piercing feelers emerged.

"Take it." Auron commanded as he threw Tidus the smaller of the two, thick swords he had. Tidus tried catching the hilt with both his hands, but still almost doubled over by the weight of the immense blade. He made things worse by then immediately overcorrecting his balance. Auron smiled while holding the larger blade in one hand.

"A gift from Jecht." Auron elaborated.

"What? My old man?" Tidus exclaimed.

"I hope you're a fast learner." Auron said grimly.

"Why are we using these big swords, why don't we just use guns?" Tidus asked. 

"You will find soon enough that the use of a gun is futile against Sin or it's Sinspawns." Auron replied.

        The battle began. Tidus ran out and started hacking the creatures from behind while Auron focused on the ones in the front. Though somewhat clumsy, Tidus's style of fighting worked with him moving his blade light and fast; he was able to do this thanks in part to his blitzball skills. It did take a couple hits for him to kill some of the creatures though. Auron, on the other hand, slashed in giant strides slicing anything that got in his way like a hot knife through butter. He was a skilled fighter.

"Those behind us don't matter. Help me cut through the front!" Auron commanded.

        Auron and Tidus hacked and slashed making their way through the road. A creature from out of nowhere suddenly attacked Tidus. He tried to attack it, but it evaded the attack and Tidus keeled over using too much energy in the thrust. The creature crawled on top of Tidus's belly and aimed for Tidus's neck with one of its two, piercing feelers. Like lightning, Auron skillfully ran with the heavy blade and sliced the creature in two above Tidus.

"You owe me one." Auron said coolly. "Remember, don't go after all of them. Cut the ones that matter and run!" He added.

        The two made their way towards the end of the road when Tidus noticed the giant screen television he saw earlier on the side of the road now sideways leaning against a piece of a destroyed building near the side of the road. It still displayed the picture of Jecht. There were no creatures in their present area, so Auron stopped and stared at the image while catching his breath. He began laughing while staring at the image.

"What are you laughing at, old man?" Tidus asked. Auron remained still.

"Auron! C'mon! Let's get out of here!" Tidus exclaimed while looking behind him at a few creatures starting to catch up. Auron simply stared at him for a second when he stated.

"We're expected."

"Huh?" Tidus asked confused. He quickly looked up and saw the funnel of fire and debris cease below Sin. Tidus suddenly realized they were not heading for a shelter from this Sin, but rather were heading strait towards it. It had expected them.

"Gimme a break! We're heading straight for Sin?" Tidus exclaimed. Auron silently walked forward almost at the end of the road and directly beneath Sin.

        Without warning, several pods landed all around and very close to Tidus and Auron. It would be very difficult to escape.

"Hmph. This could be bad" Stated Auron dourly as he surveyed the situation. He quickly noticed a car with many gas canisters teetering off the edge of the road on the car's hitched trailer. It was hitched with a new electrical pulsar system that was the standard in Zanarkand. He turned to Tidus and quickly snapped at him.

"Get down now!"

        At that moment, Auron ran towards the hitch, sliced at it in a heavy stride with his immense saber, and created a huge electrical meltdown by slicing through the heart of the pulsar. Auron ran until he was safely on the other side of the suspended road and directly under Sin. Tidus had no time to react. Three seconds later, there was a colossal chain explosion that obliterated all the creatures in front of him but knocked him back from the shockwave. It was the second time in one day that that had happened to Tidus. The few creatures that were behind Tidus immediately cowered away in fear following the blast.

"Run Tidus! Now!" Auron yelled. 

        The whole right side of the bridge had been vaporized and the left side was crumbling. Tidus ran with all his might across the left side of the suspended road. He could feel the cracked concrete quaking beneath his legs. It started breaking apart and falling beneath his legs. He wasn't going to make it running, he was too far away. He made one final, desperate leap. He barely grabbed the other side with one hand right at the feet of Auron. The weak, one-armed grip instantaneously started failing. He flailed both his arms franticly rubbing his hands against the concrete forcing a friction hold. He finally established a descent grip and started begging Auron for help.

"Auron! Help! Auron!" Tidus yelled as pleading for help. Auron did not move. He merely stared at Tidus for a few moments and then looked above at the bottom of the sphere that surrounded Sin. A yellow glow came from the under-belly of the sphere, a wormhole opened; it could easily transport Tidus and Auron through time and space like a black hole. Auron stared at the sphere and nodded at it as if talking to someone. 

"This is what you want, isn't it? Yes. You are sure?." Auron said seemingly having a dialogue exchange with the black swirling sphere or perhaps Sin itself. Tidus was getting very tired of these bizarre happenings occurring in his once normal life. Auron stared back at Tidus and picked him up with both hands by his collar and held him in the air as if to restrain Tidus. 

"This is it, your fate is sealed. This is your story and yours alone. It all begins here." Auron said ominously to Tidus looking into his eyes.

        Auron was then instantly sucked into the wormhole. His body elongated hundreds of feet as it was sucked in particle by particle. It then happened to Tidus; he was sucked in so fast, he didn't even have time to register what was happening. All he could do was scream. Everything was happening too fast it seemed. He blacked out. When he regained conciseness, he was floating hundreds of feet above a city. He was quietly floating in mid air. Tidus heard nothing but his own breathing and a strange humming. He looked around him. He was floating above a perfectly healthy Zanarkand, the one he had known his whole life and even just a few short hours ago, but there was something wrong. It was covered in a sea of fire. Everything was burning, but nothing was melting or was singed. It was a surreal and haunting vision. Tidus looked a few feet away from him and saw a pillar of earth about as long as a house floating about his same height that he was floating. He saw a small boy standing in the center of the platform, he knew the boy. It was himself at the age of eleven. Tidus was captivated by the image and yearned to know the meaning of this and all that has happened to him that day. He was drawn towards the image. When he almost reached it however, the image of himself faded and changed into his father, Jecht. 

"My old man?" Tidus said aloud quietly to himself.

        Jecht had a look of strength yet sorrow in his eyes. It seemed he was pleading or trying to compel Tidus to do something. Jecht looked Tidus directly in the eyes and held out his hand. Tidus returned a look full of nothing but contempt. The Zanarkand he was floating above, as well as everything, began to fade to white. 

_"I thought about a lot of things then…like where I was and what I'd got myself into. I started to feel light headed…and then, sleepy. Everything faded to white. I think I had a dream, a dream of being alone filled with horrible feelings of pain and loneliness; you know, those kinds of feelings. I wanted someone, anyone beside me…so I didn't have to feel alone anymore."_


	2. The Millennium of Sin

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all names, characters and events related to the aforesaid are the property of SQUARESOFT and it's affiliates. In other words, I'm giving you credit so please don't sue me!

Note: I didn't translate the Al Bhed text on purpose, you'll see why later…

Chapter 2

"The Millennium of Sin"

        Bang! A clap of thunder exploded into Tidus's ear. He jumped up, roughly awakened from his sleep. Water poured all around him. He felt very disoriented and gasped for breath in fear. He looked around himself trying to figure out what had happened. Tidus had washed up on a rock in the sea near the ruins of a fairly large temple. It was very dark and cloudy, with rain and lightning dancing across the sky. It was a gloomy and sullen atmosphere, while being very cool and damp. 

"Auron! Auron? Is anybody here? Hey!" Tidus yelled to the sky hoping to find someone, anyone. However, all Tidus had for company was a wet flock of birds flying above him.

        Tidus looked forward, and saw the grossly run down remnants of a three-story temple. He looked around some more and realized numerous stone ruins surrounded him in the water. He looked ahead and saw steps that began in the water and led up to a stone passageway that led directly into the old temple, a sufficient shelter. The only reason Tidus could figure that there were stairs that led into the water from the temple was because it must have been used as a place to bathe by the temple's priests or priestesses. It was the best explanation he could muster at the time; however, such questions were trivial in the face of his current strife. He got out of the sea, climbed the steps, and began to make his way to the temple. About halfway across, the stone path started shaking and giving way under Tidus's weight. Tidus recognized the shaking underneath his feet and had undoubtedly expected what came next. With a splash, Tidus hit the water. He quickly put the blitzball breathing apparatus he kept in his pocket, and put it into his mouth to breathe. He looked around underwater trying to orient himself, when suddenly; three large fish with sharp teeth and fins came into sight from the watery blur in the dark sea. The large fish were about half the size of Tidus. He made his small but thick sword on his back ready, and coiled into a defensive position. Tidus easily sliced the first carnivorous fish that darted towards him. The blood of that fish sent the other two into a frenzy. One of the remaining two fish fed on the remnants of his former companion, while the other opened its mouth menacingly at Tidus. He tried to hack at this marine killer with his sword, but it was too swift for him. Tidus managed to just barely avoid its teeth, but in doing so, the fish's sharp back fin sliced into Tidus's leg. In agony, he dropped his sword and it sunk a few feet to the bottom. Looking up, he saw his untimely demise in the sets of sharp teeth aiming at him. Suddenly, the sea seemed to roar. Before Tidus's eyes was a creature inconceivable to humans; it was a giant aquatic sea monster who was as tall and wide as ten people. The fish who were about to devour Tidus now looked up in fear. This giant fish-like monster swallowed one of the smaller fishes whole and grabbed the other one in the clenches of its jaws and thrashed it around violently. It then eyed Tidus. Quickly, Tidus swam down and grabbed his sword. He happened to eye a small opening at the side of the temple and swam to it as fast as he could. The creature was swimming behind him in fast pursuit. The creature opened his mouth preparing to consume him.

"C'mon Tidus! Hurry up!" He thought to himself.

        Though Tidus was swimming fast, the underwater beast was faster. Tidus was slowly slipping into the creatures gaping mouth. The mouth was about to clamp down. Thud! Tidus felt the concrete that now surrounded him vibrate ominously. He had just made it into the hole in the water-bordered side of the temple. The creature had banged against the side of the temple being way to big to even consider putting a fin through the small hole. Tidus looked around the dilapidated room. There was a long stone corridor which ended at where he was at, which seemed to be a small, one-man, boat dock. He started down the corridor; half of it had collapsed after it seems the wooden supports on the left side gave way. Though still stormy, the moonlight shined through in between the flickers of lightning. Tidus could not see much.  It was dark and he felt very cold.

_"I had made it out of the frying pan...and into the freezer. I felt cold, confused, depressed...and alone. I thought I was going to die in this place."_

        Tidus exited the long corridor, and entered a huge room. The temple was built like a dome with the three stories circling around the inside of the dome. The main floor was painted in a beautiful mosaic of the sun. The only sound you could hear was the rain pelting or seeping through the ineffective roof. Tidus looked around and wondered what was worshiped here. He saw many statues circling the bottom (though most had fallen to the ground and broke into many pieces). The statues that remained seemed to be of people ceremoniously dressed. He saw an elaborate stairway lead to an ornate door, but to the dismay of his curiosity, the door was sealed. Near the stairway however, he saw an opened box of familiar looking leaves. It seemed to Tidus to be medicinal herbs based on their smell. He took one of the leaves, crushed it in his palm, and gingerly placed it on the wound in his leg. A cool relief rushed into Tidus's limb. Though he still slightly hobbled, he felt a great respite from the pain. He then looked in the middle of the decorated floor and saw the remains of a campfire. Someone or something had been here already, and not too long ago it seemed. He abruptly remembered how cold he was and looked for an un-drenched piece of kindling. He looked and found a withered bouquet of flowers laying at the bottom of a statues feet, un-touched by the rain's scorn. He also found two pieces of flint stone lying on the ground. 

"C'mon, c'mon! Light!" Tidus yelled at the withered bouquet that lay at the abandoned campfire site. The fire finally lit.

        Tidus embraced the warmth of the fire on the cold temple floor. He still felt very hungry. So, he decided to make up for what he didn't have in his stomach, to what he could have in sleep. He dozed off to the sound of the rain. He drifted into a dream…

        Tidus was sitting in his floating house. The white hue of reality and a dream blur. He remembered now, this was no dream, it was a memory. He sat on the ground curled up looking at old pictures. Looking at or for happiness, does it really matter? The door unlocked, Tidus looked up and saw Auron. Tidus silently recognized him and looked back down at the photographs. Auron looked at him with discerning eyes.

"You made a bad call." Auron stated simply. "Your team lost because of you."

        Tidus slowly looked up at him with anger and bewilderment.

"Did you come here just to say that to me? What are you hiding…what did you really come here for?" Tidus asked.

        Auron looked to the side at nothing for many moments. All you could hear is the ticking of the clock. He finally looked at Tidus.

"Today is the anniversary. It's been… ten years since she died, your mother." He stated simply in his rough, dark voice. He stared at Tidus looking for words. "I thought you'd be crying."

        Tidus stared up questioningly. Suddenly, memory and reality divided. The strange boy whom Tidus had encountered in Zanarkand seemed to stop time in the nostalgic dream. Floating around the boy were small glistening spheres of light. Only Tidus and the boy were in motion in the dream/memory. Tidus even felt confused in the dream. The boy in the black cut robe stared at Tidus.

"But you did cry. That night, you cried. Not just for what you felt… but for what you didn't feel." The boy said darkly.

        Tidus shot up cold and frightened from the dream/memory. Everything in the dream went along with his memory until the break. That boy. Who was he, what is this? Tidus's emotion was bursting.

"What the Hell is happening to me?" Tidus cried out into the emptiness. All of a sudden, Tidus felt a cold blast of air blow out one of the windows to the side and heard the chattering of the glass hit against the hard floor. The fire grew weak and started to die.

"Hey wait! Wait! Please don't go out on me!" Tidus pleaded with the fire. "Not Now! Just please hold on! I'll find more wood…" His words were suddenly cut off and his breathe taken away. 

        He heard a loud noise on the open corridor on the second story above him. Walking along the circular, open hallway above him was yet another monster he had never heard of or seen in Zanarkand. It was a giant blue, bug-like creature with four sharp pincer-like legs. Its giant eyes were looking at Tidus and saliva dripped from its mouth. It quickly jumped and ran around the circular wall of the dome like temple, not falling sideways by quickly jabbing it's sharp legs into the side of the wall. Tidus's head was spinning trying to follow the bug-like creature running around the side of the walls, it was extremely fast. The creature finally detached itself from the wall and plummeted to the ground on its feet about one hundred feet from the air, landing only a few steps away from Tidus. It quickly pounced at Tidus. With his athletic training, Tidus quickly dodged the assault by falling to the ground and spinning for his sword. But it was too late. While Tidus was on the ground, the creature jumped and landed over his body ready to deal the killing blow. Tidus closed his eyes tight, preparing for the worst. The next thing he heard was a loud thud. This startled the jumpy creature to quickly move a long stride away from Tidus. The entrance door (though not the decorative sealed one) burst open. In the lightening, Tidus saw the Silhouette of four humans.

"Gemm dra _fiend_!" A girl who seemed to lead the group screeched. Tidus saw she threw a small, cylindrical object at the creature. With the loud plink of metal hitting metal against the ground, the object fell at the feat of the monster. The creature froze in bewilderment. There was a suspenseful silence. In a furious explosion, fire filled the abandoned temple, and the creature was burned into oblivion. Though not injured, Tidus felt the fire blaze across his face. The girl had thrown a bulky grenade. 

        Tidus could clearly see his rescuers now. The girl was dressed in a tight, red and white wet suit wearing dark and bulky goggles. Her dangerous beauty stared Tidus in the face as a bushel of grenades dangled by her side. One of the three men with her was wearing a gas mask and brandishing an assault rifle with a sharp dagger by his side. Another man had a tattooed face full of various shapes and also had a tall, blonde mohawk haircut. He also carried a machine gun. The last man with the girl had a shaved head and also wore dark, and bulky goggles. Tidus smiled.

"You guys on my side? Cool. So there are other humans around here, huh? Ha Ha! Whew, that was close." Tidus's rescuers looked at him blankly and discerningly. Tidus stood up. The man with the dagger quickly ran to Tidus and grabbed him by his hair, and brought the dagger to his throat. 

"What? Hey lemme go!" Tidus pleaded. The man pulled tighter. The others walked to Tidus.

"Fryd ec drec?" The man asked of his comrades in his strange language.

"Y fiend! Eh risyh teckieca!" The man in goggles stated.

"Oac! Ed ec cu!" The mohawk man said.

"Fa gemm ed?" The man with the knife asked of the other men.

"Fyed! Fryd ev ed ec risyh?" The girl piped up seeming to plead with the men.

"Drao yna dra cysa eh taydr." The man with the said as he pounded his fist on the emphasized words.

"E vunpet ed!" The young girl stated commandingly. "Fa pnehk ed fedr ic!"

        The beautiful, young girl waved her hand and the man with the knife let go of Tidus. Tidus stood there disarrayed, staring at the girl. She slowly walked up to Tidus and put her lips next to Tidus's ear as if to whisper something.

"Cunno." She whispered softly into his ear. Suddenly, her hand violently punched into his stomach's side where she pinched a nerve that knocked Tidus unconscious as he fell to the cold temple floor.

*** * ***

        A cool sea breeze spread across Tidus's face. His eyes opened quickly as he took a brief gasp of air, feeling very disoriented. He snapped out of his unconsciousness. He opened his eyes and saw only a clear sky with stars scattered about it. It was warmer than at the temple; it seemed to be a rather placid evening. Tidus heard an engine running and sat up. He looked around him and realized he was on a fairly large metal boat with a big crane on one side. He looked ahead of him and saw two of the men from earlier guarding him on this outside deck of the boat. It appeared to Tidus that not too much time had passed since he fell unconscious. He was ravenously hungry. Tidus's stirring alarmed the guards around him and the man with the gasmask turned around with an assault rifle in his hand and stared at Tidus. Tidus slowly stood up.

"Ced, lybdeja!" The man with the gas mask said as he pelted Tidus in the back with the butt of his gun, forcing Tidus to fall to the ground. It became apparent to Tidus that these people were not his saviors, but his captors and terrorists.

"Hey, that hurts! Hitting sore, hungry people who just regained consciousness hurts them!" Tidus said slowly and mockingly, as if to a child. The man looked at him and shook his head.

"Hu sujehk, rayn?" The man with the gas mask barked as he cocked his gun.

"Whoa… okay." Tidus said slowly as he put he put both hands into the air. A door suddenly opened that led to the outdoor deck of the boat. It was the girl and the man with a blonde mohawk. 

"Caynlr res!" The man with the mohawk commanded of the other two men. The other two men began to pat him down and search him. After that was done, the man with the gasmask nodded at the man with the mohawk. This man began to act out what he desired of Tidus while making grunts and hand gestures. He initially pointed at Tidus, then at the sea, and then made swimming movements. Tidus looked at this man puzzled. 

"Right… whatever." Tidus said casually.

"Tu oui hud cbayg?" The man asked quietly holding back his anger. He took a valuable looking necklace out of his pocket and pointed to it and then Tidus while grunting as he was merely trying to make some sort of vocalization.

"That's sweet of you to offer me, but you're not really my type big boy." Tidus chuckled. The man stared at him seriously and pointed to him, the water, and then the necklace. Tidus stared up at him frustrated now.

"Listen! Once and for all, I'm tired, hungry, and I don't understand a word that you say!" Tidus yelled out.

"Ehcumahla!" The man with the mohawk (who was visibly stronger than Tidus) yelled out. He grabbed Tidus by the throat and began to squeeze. He then reached for his hand gun and placed the nozzle of it against Tidus's chest, over his heart. Tidus's hand instinctively wrapped around the man's hand, hoping to break the grip around his neck. Such an endeavor was futile.

"Fyed!". Quickly shrieked the girl who seemed to lead the group. She ran over to the man with the blonde mohawk and slapped him. He quickly let go of Tidus and holstered his gun. She turned and looked at Tidus.

"He said you can stay if you make yourself useful." The girl said in perfect clearness.

"You… you understand me?" Tidus asked incredulously while looking into the girls' eyes. Suddenly, after an unpleasant jolt to his back from a gun butt, he answered.

"All right, all right… I'll work!" Tidus growled angrily. He looked over at the girl who was putting her goggles on and tightening the wetsuit. She put a breathing apparatus in her mouth and tossed one to Tidus along with an underwater flashlight. 

"Heh heh. Just like blitzball." Tidus commented. The girl looked up at him in recognition and smiled. As Tidus was getting ready for his watery decent, he noticed the rest of the crew assembled around a giant crane on the starboard side of the giant boat. Tidus walked over to the men gazing at the crane.

"What's this? Some kind of crane?" Tidus asked somewhat rhetorically. 

"Rao, oui! Kad yfyo vnus drana!" The man with the mohawk  said angrily while brandishing a knife.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to shout." Tidus said irritated. He looked back at the girl who seemed to be ready.

"We found some ancient ruins right beneath us." She said. "It's not active now, but there should still be some power left. That's where we come in; we're going to go down there and activate it! Then, we should be able to salvage it… It's an incredible find!" 

        Tidus was very confused (as he had been accustomed to feeling in these past hours). When she first mentioned ruins, he thought of an underwater city long forgotten. However, she seemed to be talking about a machine or something like that. Tidus figured he would know soon enough what he was salvaging. He looked at the and followed her lead onto the ledge of the boat. Then, he followed her lead by plunging into the cool water. They looked at each other in silent confirmation, and then they dove into the dark depths. Tidus looked around; even with the underwater flashlights, it was very dark. He would have been tempted to ask why they had not waited until morning to do this had he actually been above the water. He followed the orange wetsuit of the girl and finally, Tidus saw what they were going to salvage. Appearing out of the gray, watery depths, he saw what appeared to be a huge metallic vessel. Tidus immediately new what it was. It was an airship, only this one looked bigger than even the larger ones in Zanarkand and looked technologically more advanced. Tidus was perplexed. 

"Why is this airship called 'ancient' and a 'ruin', it looks futuristic if anything!" Tidus thought to himself. 

        He saw the girl go up to one of the sides of the airship and take something out of a small bag she carried down that was now floating next to her. Tidus moved closer. Suddenly, Tidus saw a sleek laser beam stream out of a silvery object she held in her hand. She drew a large circle with the laser beam and in moments, Tidus and the girl would penetrate the mass of impeding steel. Once they were inside, they swam through various corridors. To Tidus's shock, there indeed was some power in the airship! Though dimly lightened and flickering on the inside, there was enough to see around the corridors and navigate the rooms clearly. Tidus could not understand how something so new looking that still has power could be considered "ancient" or "a ruin". Finally, they swam into the engine room. This was by far the most commodious room in the vessel Tidus had seen thus far. However, shortly after Tidus and the girl entered the room, they realized they were not alone. Erupting from the bottom of the ship came a defining growl. Tidus and the girl looked at one another;  both of them were garnishing a worried look.  Suddenly a swift, yet huge creature came swimming with its gaping jaws aimed towards the girl. Tidus did not have time to react. The girl was going to be devoured. In fear she thrashed out arm and curled into a ball. Tidus stared on helplessly as the jaws, in slow motion it seemed to Tidus, curled around this girls body. Suddenly, a blast of light and sound erupted from the creatures bowels, severing it in two. There was no blood however. Instead, all that spewed from the creature were glistening spheres of light that floated away leaving a sparkling, but short lived tail behind them as they quickly ascended into the indefinite space above them and even through the vessel. Tidus looked for the girl and saw that she was still curled in a ball as the jaws of the creature (whose lips had nearly curled around the girl) now floated helplessly to the ground. The girl smiled and motioned inside one of her side-packs. She pulled something out of it to show to Tidus. It was a grenade. Tidus smiled; he realized that when the girl flailed her arm out towards the creature, she was really tossing a grenade down its throat. They decided to move on. They swam to central core of the ship in the engine room and the girl examined a small, electronic control panel. The girl looked at it perplexingly. She then motioned for Tidus to look at it. Though it looked slightly more advanced technologically from a Zanarkand core module, Tidus was still able to easily figure out how to activate it. He was confused as to why this girl, who seemed to be able to operate many computer-like on the ship, could not activate a simple module. Upon activation the ship lit up brilliantly and everything on board started to function (though it could not move because it was underwater. Tidus and the girl got out of the vessel and attached the ends of the crane Tidus had seen earlier to it. They ascended delicately right along with the vessel until it was safely connected to the end of the girl's ship.

*** * ***

Tidus watched to the side as the girl and her companions celebrated while speaking their strange language. He heard things like "Fa vuiht dra _airship!_" and "Dra naluntc fana nekrd!" Tidus felt very tired; he felt it must have been very late at night by now. Sadly, he was even hungrier than he was tired and indeed, he was very tired. His senses suddenly danced with delight as he smelled food and saw that everyone started to get off the deck and enter the ship while smiling with delight at the smell from inside. Tidus made his way over. However, before he entered the cabin, the man with mohawk  turned around and stared at him sternly. He grabbed Tidus by the collar and shoved him to the ground outside the entrance.

"Oui, uidceta!" He exclaimed will closing the cabin door and locking it behind him.

"Hey! I helped out, didn't I? You idiots couldn't have activated the simple control module if I wasn't here!" He exclaimed while pounding on the door; he and his stomach growled with anger. Tidus eventually gave up and just walked to the side of the ship to stare at the oceon. It was a beautiful, temperate night. He looked out at the seemingly unending ocean as he enjoyed the pleasant scent of the sea air blow around him. After about thirty minutes on the deck, Tidus heard someone behind him. He turned around and saw the girl with a hefty plate of food and drink. Tidus smiled.

"Whoa! Right on!" He exclaimed spiritedly. He ran over to the food and started cramming as much food as he could down his throat. It was very good.

"Wow, you're quite the fast eater" The girl giggled. Suddenly, Tidus began to make a hacking noise and started to choke. The girl quickly handed him some of his drink. Tidus graciously accepted the beverage and began to chug it. He then let out a noisy sigh of relief. The girl laughed.

"It's 'cause you eat to fast!" The girl said cheerfully. Tidus laughed and nodded his head in concurrence. After regaining his composer, he looked towards her.

"Well, now that I see your not going to bash my head in again or whatever… what's your name?" Tidus asked. The girl smiled coyly.

"Rikku." The girl answered.

"Whoa! You really do understand me!" Tidus exclaimed and laughed almost deliriously. He was finally accepting the fact that he was now with someone who could understand him and who seemed to treat him somewhat kindly.

"I'm Tidus." He continued. "Why didn't you say so earlier? That you could actually understand me?"

"I didn't get a chance to! I was busy trying to convince everyone you were not a fiend! They would have killed you in the temple if it wasn't for me!  Get it? Oui'na yfiend?" The girl explained

"Uh… 'Oui'na y fiend'?" Tidus asked.

"Oh, yea… that just slipped in. It's our language." The girl said.

"Who _are_ you guys anyway?" Tidus asked. Rikku smiled

"We're Al Bhed. Can't you tell?"  Rikku looked at him curiously. She suddenly looked worried. "Wait. You're not an Al Bhed hater, are you?"

"I don't even know what an Al Bhed is!" Exclaimed Tidus. This response only made Rikku look even more worried.

"Where are you from?" She asked curiously.

"Zanarkand." Tidus responded. "I'm a blitzball player. Star of the Zanarkand Abes!" He added as if completing his title. Rikku looked at him like she didn't know how to respond.

"Uh… Did you hit your head or something?" Rikku asked.

"Well, you guys sure hit me in the head!" Tidus exclaimed. Rikku blushed.

"Oh right… Do you remember anything before that? Before the temple?" She asked.

_"So I told her everything there was to tell about Zanarkand; about life there, blitzball, and Sin's attack… and about how Auron and I were engulfed in this light. I just said things as they came to my mind; I sort of began to ramble. But then, as I looked at her face, I began to feel uneasy."_

"Did I say something funny?" Tidus asked as he stared at Rikku. She seemed to take half a step back.

"You were near Sin." She said as her usually bright face went pale. She looked very serious but then smiled again. "Don't worry, you'll be better again in no time. They say your head gets funny when Sin is near. Maybe you just had some kind of dream?"

"You mean I'm sick?" Tidus asked incredulously. 

"Because of Sin's toxin, yeah." She answered.

"What? You sure?" Tidus said.

"Well… yeah, there is no Zanarkand anymore." Rikku said. Tidus' eyes widened.

"What?" Tidus burst out.

"Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago." She smiled sadly. "So… no one plays blitzball there anymore."

"What do you mean, a thousand years ago?" Tidus asked. He felt all the more lost and confused. "But I saw Sin attack Zanarkand! Your saying that happened a thousand years ago? Screw that!" Tidus felt a mixture of anger and confusion, not towards Rikku, but himself. Tidus turned away from her to collect his thoughts. Rikku tried, though somewhat awkwardly, to change the subject.

"So… You said you play blitzball?" Rikku asked. Tidus remained stolid. "You know, you should go to Luca. Someone might know who you are, or you might find someone you recognize." Rikku said. Tidus was surprised that blitzball apparently still existed in the future… if it truly was the future.

"Luca?" Tidus questioned her. Rikku nodded.

 "Mmm Hmm. Okay, leave it to me! I'll get you to Luca, promise!" Rikku was her same, perky self again. Tidus looked at her still somewhat timidly. "What? You'd rather stay here?" Rikku asked smiling. Tidus smiled back. "Okay. I'll go tell the others, you wait here." Rikku said. She started to walk away but then stopped and turned around. "Oh, and one more thing. Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand, okay? Yevon says it's a holy place. You might upset someone, and I'm sure that's the last thing you'd want to do now isn't it?" Rikku said laughing. Tidus could only stare back at her all the more baffled. 

_"My Zanarkand, some kind of holy place? Yeah right, I thought. Since when? Yevon? Sin? Luca? I thought Sin just took me to a faraway place, that I could go back in a day or two. But a thousand years in the future? No way! I wouldn't, no, couldn't believe this. How could my life, my entire past be some dream born from some weird toxin. My past memories, my existence nothing more than an elaborate fantasy? I could believe Sin took me to the future, but only 'cause I saw what Sin was capable of in Zanarkand. But this?"_

        Tidus walked over to the crane and kicked and pounded his fist against it to let out his frustration. He quickly stopped when he heard a low rumbling noise. He noticed that the wind had stopped. All that could be heard was the ominous rumble. The crew of the ship suddenly burst out of the inner decks and looked around at all sides of the ship in fear. Suddenly, something of mammoth proportions burst forth out of the sea. Tidus tried to see what it was, but it was still very dark outside. It seemed to be gargantuan. It was unfathomable in size for most of it was still underwater.

"_Sin_!" One of the crewmen cried. "_Sin_ ec lusa!"

"Ihtan ic! Ihtan ic!" Another one cried running for armaments. 

        Tidus was looking over the railing trying to get a better look at this thing. Suddenly, the thought occurred to him.

"Could it be…?" Suddenly, the ship was dealt a heavy blow. The ship began to swing back and forth violently. In the quake of the blow Tidus fell overboard. He looked up at the ship trying to swim in the violent waves created by this quake. Rikku stared on helplessly. All of a sudden, Tidus felt himself being pulled underwater. A whirlpool had been created right below him with a faint glimmer underwater. He was violently consumed by the whirlpool and all, once again, faded to white.__


End file.
